Apple seeds fifth iOS 7 beta to developers

Apple has seeded the fifth beta of iOS 7 to developers a little over a week after the fourth version of Cupertino’s mobile operating system was pushed out. The latest release includes the usual mix of bug fixes and improvements in addition to new Control Center features.

Developers with access to the latest beta will find new icons for individual features in the Settings menu like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Airplane Mode and Cellular. Additionally, a standalone Control Center settings menu allows the user to disable access to the panel from within apps or on the lock screen.

Other aesthetic tweaks include a white install screen for those who have a white iPhone and a black screen for those with the black handset.

Despite the standard bug fixes, some glitches still managed to make the transition from the previous release. For example, password fields are not displayed in landscape mode when accessing in-app purchases or through game center. Text entry is still possible but you just can’t see what is being typed.

Additionally, Apple informed developers that some application downloads can become locked in a “waiting” state in the fifth beta. This can be circumvented by rebooting the device a time or two as necessary. Glitches like these will of course be handled before Apple pushes the software out to the general public – perhaps as early as next month.

Developers are invited to download the new software via the software update on their test devices. As always, Apple advises users should only install beta software on devices dedicated to software development.